


Shifting Leadership

by The_Quierdest



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Character Death, Crying, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 16:24:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19771999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Quierdest/pseuds/The_Quierdest
Summary: Peter fumbled with the phone with numb hands. The sharp ringing could barely be heard over the thundering rain. A voice rang out"Hello? Spiderman?"Peter's voice trembled as he spoke."You said you knew some lawyers right?""Yeah... why?"Thunder boomed. Peter took a deep breath."I need to be emancipated.""Fuck no."





	Shifting Leadership

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SomethingOfFandoms](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomethingOfFandoms/gifts).



> So uuhhh
> 
> Ouch

Peter slipped into his window after a long night as Spider-Man. It was late. Everything was quiet- the sounds of New York muffled in the night. Despite the darkness, Peter could see just fine. He cast his gaze around the room, pencils and clothes strewn about the floor. As his eyes cast over the clock, he noted that it was already past 1 in the morning. 

May was probably either sleeping or at the hospital on her night shift so he thought nothing of the silent house, quickly stripping out of his suit and collapsing onto the springy bed. He didn’t even bother getting under the threadbare blanket before his eyes slid shut and he drifted off into sleep.

It seemed as though he had just fallen asleep when Peter jolted awake to the blaring of his alarm. Rolling off his bed, Peter landed on the floor with a solid ‘ _ oomf _ ' before reaching up to turn the alarm off.

Finally opening his eyes, Peter forced himself to stand up and shuffled over to the closet to get ready for school. He slipped on the first thing he grabbed- a black hoodie that said “I may be N ER DY But only periodically!” and some blue jeans before slipping on his converse and heading down the hall.

May still wasn’t home.

That was a little odd, but they were falling behind on rent so maybe she took more shifts to keep up? Shrugging it off, Peter yanked his backpack off the ground and headed out for school, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Peter hated taking the subway. It was loud- he could hear everything at least 5 cars in either direction- and his spider sense tingled with every touch, every brush of fingers- giving him a headache by the time his stop arrived. But he took the subway anyway and all too soon (not soon enough) he was getting off at the stop closest to Midtown.

Rushing to leave the station, Peter tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack. He made his way towards the stairs that would take him up to the street. One foot in front of the other until Midtown loomed ahead and then into his first class.

Peter scanned his card and turned right, deciding to snag breakfast while he could. He stuck to the small cereal packaging to avoid dropping it and grasped a small carton of milk. He swiped his school card once more and walked through the cafeteria, into the courtyard.

As he walked through the meager patches of grass, Peter glanced at the joke on the back of the carton.  _ “Why do strings never win a race?” _

“Because they always tie,” Peter grumbled. That was the 5th time he had gotten that one. He tucked the cold carton into the crook of his arm and reached to open the door. Above him, thunder rumbled quietly.

The door swung shut behind him and Peter’s shoes slapped against the tile as he veered towards the stairs. Up, up, and up and then to the left as he slipped into the dark room of Ms. Berman’s class. The bright lights of the monitors in video productions hurt his eyes as they contrasted the dark shadows that enveloped the room.

He quickly scanned the room and smiled as he spotted Ned. He deposited himself into the plastic seat next to him. He spoke to Ned as he peeled back the plastic on the cheap cereal.

“Hey dude.”

Ned tossed Peter a cheese stick.

“Hey man. How late were you up last night? You look exhausted.”

Peter paused in his ministrations and looked Ned dead in the eyes.

“Too late.”

Pinching the milk carton open, Peter continued by saying, “just let me die for like- a day. Let me sleep.”

Ned laughed as he turned in his chair.

“Mood.”

There was silence for a few moments as Peter poured milk from the carton into his cereal before Peter groaned loudly and slammed his head into the desk.

“You ok dude?”

Peter’s reply was muffled by the table.

“I forgot to grab a spoon!”

Ned just laughed.

Peter tilted his head to glare at Ned through his arms.

“You’re an asshole,” he griped as he sat back up again.

Ned stood up and held his hand to help Peter up too.

“Yeah yeah.”

The two boys wandered around, looking to see if anyone had a spoon Peter could use. No one did. As they approached their seats again, Peter sighed.

“Fuck it, I’m gonna drink it.”

He promptly seized his cereal and tilted it back, drinking the cascade of cheerios. Ned walked with him to throw the plastic away.

“That might’ve been the most chaotic thing I’ve ever seen Peter.”

Peter wiped the corners of his mouth as he responded.

“That,” he pointed. “Was not fun.”

The two boys sat down again and class started.

\----------------------------------------------------

A few hours showed Peter to be in Mr. Cobbwell’s class, going over the analysis for a lab they had done. They had assigned seats in this class and Flash, who was right behind him, was peppering the back of Peter’s head with small wads of paper.

Peter had already broken one pencil. He was close to breaking his second.

Outside, thunder clapped. There was a tear from a notebook behind him. The clock ticked and Mr. Cobbwell’s voice kept going. A kid to the left of him sneezed and two girls in front kept murmuring to each other. A kid in the bag of the class wouldn’t sit still, each sound echoing louder than the last. The clocked ticked louder and there was a soft thump from another paper ball hitting him in the back of the head.

The pencil snapped.

Peter inhaled sharply, closed his eyes, and tried to focus on the loud battering of the rain against the window. He closed off all other sounds like Daredevil had said. There was nothing but the rain.

A door slammed open, startling Peter and several other students out of the tranquil mood that had settled with the rain.

Two men in suits walked into the room, faces impassive and uncaring. The room hushed.

One of the men cleared his throat before calling out, “Peter Parker?”

Peter glanced to his professor, waiting for the nod of approval. His stomach twisted and his spider-sense buzzed lightly in the back of his head. Something was wrong. Mr. Cobbwell nodded.

Peter slowly lifted himself out of his desk and grabbed the strap of his backpack. He swung the strap of his shoulder and stepped forward. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle.

Peter ducked out of the classroom with the two men, wary to stay out of arm's reach. Almost immediately, one of them started talking.

“Care to tell us why you’ve been avoiding us, son?”

Peter wrinkled his nose is confusion.

“Avoiding you? With all due respect, I don’t even know who you are.”

One of them men barked out a laugh, loud and unnatural. Peter stopped walking. There was silence as the two men turned around and Peter stared defiantly.

“Oh my god, you’re serious.”

Peter tightened the grip on his backpack strap.

“Who. Are you.”

The flourescent lights above hummed, casting ugly shadows on the white tiles. The rows of blue lockers lined the hallway, framing the 3 of them. In the distance, some door opened, hinges squeaking noisily.

One of the men- Clark, Peter decided he’d call him- shifted.

“Son, you might wanna sit down.”

His spider-sense buzzed even stronger, prompting Peter into the defensive.

“Whatever it is you need to tell me, you can tell me right here, or not at all,” he snarled.

The other man- Grant, he decided- sighed.

“Peter. Two days ago, your aunt and legal guardian was found dead. We’re from CPS and we were tasked with finding you to discuss your options from here.”

It was sharp, clipped, impersonal. Peter’s world froze. The sounds he’d been hearing narrowed down to the drum of the rain and his own breathing- which had sped up. Distantly, he heard someone speak. There was a hand on his arm, tugging him. Everything was underwater and despite his rapid breathing, or maybe because of it, his chest tightened.

He couldn’t hear anything and there was a hand on his arm, the world spun and he couldn’t  _ breathe _ . 

Cold rain slapped his face, startling him into clarity. They were outside now, and Grant was gently pulling him toward a black car. Midtown was behind him. Cement was below him. May was dead. May was  _ dead. _ He couldn’t panic now. 

Thoughts swirled around Peter’s head. He couldn’t go into foster care! It would be harder to hide Spider-Man and he might have to leave New York! Then he  _ couldn’t  _ be Spider-Man! He listened to the rain showering on the pavement. His mind was made up.

Taking a breath, he wrenched his arm out of Grant’s grip and ran, booking it down the street. He ignored the panicked calls of the two men, the slapping of their feet behind him. He was fueled by desperation. Rain was driven in sheets against him and pretty soon, he was soaked and dripping, still being showered with large, cold drops of water.

His breath burned in his chest, a sharp contrast from the cold weather swirling around him. He ran- outrunning the official’s that were chasing him and running some more. His breath still stung as is rushed in his throat but he was alone so he scrabbled up a wall, blind from both tears and the rushing rain. His textbooks were probably ruined as his backpack was soaked through.

Peter was crying and running and his mind was shouting a rushed mantra-  _ May is dead May is dead May is dead May is dead.  _ He let muscle memory take over as his panic set in until he had to stop on a familiar rooftop to breathe.  _ What am I going to do?! Fuck!  _ He was cold- freezing and soaked to the bone, and his breath was quick and harsh. He could hear the squeal of brakes and someone slamming on the horn. The bubbling of water in some flat below him and the ever present sound of rain, banging against windows and bricks and the street below.

_ What do I do what do I do!  _ Peter whipped out his phone, shielding it from the pouring rain with a dripping hand. Scrolling through his contacts with half blurred eyes, his mind sought frantically after a solution. He couldn’t go home. Ned’s place was the first they’d looked. His eyesight was going dark.  _ Fuck! Breathe!  _ His breath hitched when he scrolled past May’s contact, a droplet of water falling on the little yellow heart next to her name. He thought he might’ve been crying- wouldn’t be able to tell beyond the stifled sobbing coming from his mouth.

He scrolled down until he hit his group chats, thumb landing on  _ Team Red. _ He covered his mouth for a second, bringing his phone to his chest to shield it. His chest shook with the effort of keeping his sobs under control but at least he wasn’t struggling to breath anymore.  _ Didn’t Daredevil say he knew some good lawyers? Maybe I could get emancipated. _ Thinking no further than that, Peter scrolled up to the D’s and swiftly clicked on the dial button next to  _ Daredevil. _

It rang for a moment as he brought his phone up to his wet ear before a gruff voice came through.

_ “Spiderman? Literally no one is out right now, what would you possibly need help with?” _

Peter tried to get his voice under control.

“You said you knew some good lawyers, right?”

His voice had trembled on every word. There was a moment before Daredevil spoke again, more confused this time.

_ “Yeah, why?” _

Peter held his breath, psyching himself up for the next sentence. Saying it out loud would only make his situation more real and his throat burned with the effort of holding back his sobs. Hot tears spilled down his face, a sharp difference from the rain. The thunder made a deafening crack overhead and lightning flashed, bright and deadly.

“I need to be emancipated.”

\------------------------------------------------

Matt was stretching in his seat, having just shuffled off the remains of a case to Foggy when he heard the buzzing of a phone- his phone.  _ What would anyone possibly need right now? _ As if to accentuate his thoughts, the rain seemed to drum even louder. Slipping the phone out of his pockets, he turned his ringtone up until  _ Spider-Man Spider-Man Spider-Man  _ was being chanted quietly out of the device.

He answered, unconcerned about Foggy or Karen overhearing. They already knew about Daredevil. Bringing his phone up to his ear, he spoke.

“Spiderman? Literally no one is out right now, what would you possibly need help with?”

He heard heavy rain on the other side of the phone, and the quiet, hitched breathing of someone who was trying not to cry.

_ “You said you knew some good lawyers, right?” _

Oh god. Matt could tell this was no light work. Spider-Man’s voice trembled. Something terrible had happened. Proceeding cautiously, he spoke again.

“Yeah, why?”

There was silence for a moment. Matt could hear a sharp intake of breath and the booming thunder through the phone.

_ “I need to be emancipated.” _

_ Fuck. _ If Matt had needed anymore confirmation of Spider-Man being a minor, this was it.  _ Emancipated?! _

“Fuck no,” he spoke into the phone. “Tell me where you are, I’m coming to get you.”

_ “I don’t- I don’t know. Hang on.”  _

There was a scuffle over the phone before Spider-Man’s voice rang through again, still shaky.

_ “9th and 49th.” _

“I’ll be right there,” Matt said before hanging up and calling into the office. “Foggy! I need you to drive me somewhere!”

Foggy poked his head to the room.

“Where we driving? Why?”

Matt stood up, placing his glasses on his nose.

“Corner of 9th and 49th. Bring a blanket.”

Foggy made a noise of confusion but complied all the same, trailing after Matt to a car neither of them should’ve been able to afford. They bothed ducked into the car quickly, trying to avoid the pelting rain.

“So why are we going to the corner of 9th and 49th?” Foggy drummed his fingers against the wheel.

“Later.”

Foggy must’ve been able to hear the anxiety off of Matt’s voice because he turned into the street and drew quiet. Thunder boomed again, followed by the crack of lightning.

9th and 49th was right on the edge of Hell’s Kitchen so they were there in a matter of minutes. Matt could hear the hummingbird flutter of Spider-Man’s heartbeat. No one else was around so Matt called out as he got out of the car.

“Spider-Man!”

Foggy spluttered behind him.  _ “We’re picking up fucking Spider-Man in the rain and he doesn’t tell me.”  _ Quickly followed by  _ “Spider-Man is a kid!” _

Spider-Man responded as Matt strode over to him.

“Daredevil.”

Spider-Man’s voice still shook, but it sounded less like he was holding back tears and more that he was cold.

Matt draped his arm over Spider-Man’s shoulders to lead him back to the car. His assumption was proven correct when he could feel large tremors from Spider-Man’s body. His teeth occasionally clacked together and his clothes were dripping. The occasional hitched breath shook through his body as if Spider-Man was still holding back sobs.

“Let’s get back to the firm and we’ll talk. The name’s Matt.”

Spider-Man shivered and Daredevil could hear him nod jerkily.

“Peter.”

Matt bundled Peter into the back of the car and climbed in after him, grabbing the blanket Foggy had tossed in wrapping it around the boy’s shoulders. Without prompting, Foggy turned the heat up.

Matt’s arm was still around Peter.

“Back to the firm Foggy. I promise I’ll explain later.”

Foggy looked at Matt through the rearview mirror.

“You better.”

He then shifted his glance over to the trembling boy, looking not unlike a small, wet dog.

“I’m Foggy. I’m Matt’s impulse control and common sense but he’s a lot cooler than I am. Hi.”

The boy glanced up at Foggy, still shaking. Even so, he grinned.

“Hi.”

Silence fell over the car again and Matt felt Peter’s shivers subside. He was still crying but it seemed subconscious. Peter sniffed and wiped his face, hair dripping in his eyes.

“Thank you for coming to get me. It- it means a lot.”

It was Foggy who responded, “no problem, kid.”

Matt just tightened his arm around Peter.

Then they were back at the firm and trudging upstairs, Peter leaving small puddles with every step. Matt couldn’t hear Karen, she must’ve been out.

Matt opened the door and immediately strode into his office, digging out a soft hoodie and a pair of sweatpants he kept for long nights in the office. He handed them to Peter, telling him just as much.

“Get changed, we should get you out of those wet clothes and wash them.”

Peter stepped into his office and closed the door while Matt talked with Foggy.

“He called me and said he needed to be emancipated but there’s no way in hell we’re letting that happen, right?” He murmured, leaning in to be even quieter.

“Hell no,” Foggy whispered back. “I’ve known the kid for 5 minutes and if anything happened to him, I’d kill everyone in this room, and then myself.”

“Great. So what do we do?”

“Uuhh-”

Before they could discuss any further, the front door swung open and Karen walked in, holding groceries.

“Ooh, what are we being secretive about?”

Just then, the door to Matt’s office creaked open and Peter slipped out, drowning in Matt’s sweater, hair weighed down by the water. Foggy made a strangled noise and Karen squealed.

“Oh my  _ god  _ you are just precious! Who are you?”

Peter was taken aback for a second.

“P-peter. And you are?”

“Karen. I’m a friend of Matt and Foggy, and I work here.”

Peter held out his hand, the long sleeves of Matt’s hoodie flopping over his hand. Karen grasped it anyway, shaking it before taking out some of the food she had bought.

“So why are you here, Peter?” She called back.

Peter glanced to Matt for a second. His face fell.

“I don’t actually know.”

Karen sensed the somber mood and realized the two should be alone for a while.

“I’ll leave you two to talk then.”

Without further prompting, Matt and Peter slipped back into Matt’s office. Matt heard the door close with a  _ ‘click' _ as he settled back into his chair and waited for Peter to do the same.

Peter looked around. He had noticed Matt’s glasses earlier and looking around the office, he saw a folded up cane and braille on every piece of paper.

“Dude.” His voice sounded awed. “How the hell do you fight?”

Matt made a curious noise so Peter clarified.

“You can’t even see your surroundings, but you fight better than some professionals! That’s frickin’ cool!”

Matt grinned.

“The same accident that took my eyesight enhanced my other senses. I can’t see in the traditional sense, no, but my other senses map out where things are.”

Matt was glad that ‘cool' was the first thing to come to Peter’s mind. He was sure that Peter knew how it was to be seen as less capable due to something out of his control.

“Cooool,” came Peter’s whispered reply.

Matt sighed. They had business to attend to. 

“Look, kid,” he began. “I know you don’t really want to, but we need to talk about why you want to be emancipated.”

The playful mood of the room turned serious, and Peter shifted in his chair. There was silence as Peter deliberated what he was about to say. He scratched the back of his neck.

“My, uh,” he spoke haltingly. “My aunt just died. And she- she was the last.” Peter paused to breathe, throat burning once more as tears threatened to fall anew. “She was the last guardian in line, so it’s either emancipation or foster care.”

Peter’s voice cracked on the word ‘emancipation'.

Matt stood up so Peter did too, intent on following Matt. He was a little confused when Matt walked over to Peter before wrapping him in a tight hug. He shakily brought his arms up around Matt’s waist. His body trembled with the effort of holding back his sobs once more.

Matt brought a hand up to stroke Peter’s hair, arms tight around him and Peter’s composure finally fell away.

He locked his arms around Matt and breathed in sharply, quiet sobs falling from his mouth. Tears spilled from his eyes, one, two, and then faster than anyone could count. His weeping was punctuated by the occasional shudder as he forced himself to breathe.

Matt could feel Peter trembling in his arms, a spot on his shirt growing wet with the boy’s tears. He rubbed a comforting hand up and down Peter’s back and laid a cheek on his head. His crying, though quiet, was loud to Matt and it made his heart twist uncomfortably in his chest.

Matt began to sway lightly, rocking Peter from side to side as the boy began to grieve. There would be trouble later, but for now there was just Matt and Peter and the small office they stood in.

\-------------------------------------------------

Some time later, Peter’s cries slowed down until his body was wracked by only the occasional shiver. He began to unwind his arms from Matt, so Matt slowly stepped back, giving the boy some space.

Peter sniffled and wiped his eyes with the butt of his hand. His voice was watery and congested when he spoke.

“Thanks.”

Matt didn’t respond, opting instead to grab a bottle of water. Taking it from Matt, Peter chugged half of it in one go, dehydrated from his tears. They gave each other a soft smile.

Peter’s face was red, with shining tear tracks down his cheeks. His eyes sparkled with moisture, red rimmed and pained; his hands spasmed nervously, lightly crinkling the plastic water bottle in hand. 

Matt leaned against the desk, eyes unfocused and head in Peter’s direction. 

“We’ll figure something out,” the older man began. “But I won’t get you emancipated and there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go to foster care.”

It was a testament to how tired Peter was that the only thing Matt heard in return was a mumbled “alright.”

The atmosphere was heavy as the two sat in Matt’s office. Time passed, neither vigilante feeling up to moving. Eventually, Matt’s stomach rumbled and he forced himself to stand up. He looked over to Peter and noticed the boy had fallen asleep.

With a small smile, Matt bent over and hooked his arm under Peter’s legs and around his back, gently lifting the boy. He walked into the man room and laid Peter out on the couch before grabbing the now dry blanket and spreading it out on top of him.

He walked over to the counter by Karen’s desk and grabbed some food before plopping himself in front of Karen and Foggy, who had stopped talking when his door opened. It was silent for a moment before Foggy spoke up.

“So what are we going to do?”

Matt exhaled.

“What  _ can _ we do?” He countered.

“Well, that would depend on the situation, right?”

Foggy was right. To move forward, they’d have to know what was going on too.

“His last guardian died.”

It was clipped, tight, but it would do.

There was a sharp inhale from Karen and a quiet _ whoosh _ from Foggy as he leaned back against the wall and covered his mouth with his hand. Matt kept talking.

“So we have a teenage boy who cannot go into foster care and won’t be emancipated. What are out options?”

“Actually,” Foggy moved his hand. “Foster care might not be a bad idea.”

Matt protested. 

“Fog-”

“Hear me out,” Foggy interrupted. “I could sorta tell where this is going so I did some research. There’s this thing called kinship foster care. It’s where the kid- Peter in this case- gets to live with someone they already have a close relationship with. It sounds like you’re Peter’s best bet there.”

“Technically,” he continued on, “You have to be a licensed foster parent to do this but so long as you have a license pending, Peter will be able to live with you.”

Matt frowned.

“And if I don’t get the license? If Peter says no?”

“Didn’t think that far.”

There was silence for a moment. Karen piped up.

“At least we have  _ one  _ option. We can think of more, but we have  _ something. _ ”

Foggy stood up.

“Well we’d best get to studying. It’s not like we’re getting clients anyway.”

With murmurs of agreement, everyone grabbed their respective computers and got to work.

\--------------------------------------------------

It was hours later before anyone spoke. It was Karen who ended up breaking the desperate silence.

“I can’t find anything, but emancipation might also work if he lives with you.”

Matt slumped before laying back on the floor, computer in his lap. Tired hands reached toward his glasses, pulling them off as unseeing eyes gazed at the ceiling. He groaned.

“That’s not good enough. I promised.”

Even quieter, he spoke to himself.

“I promised.”

Matt pushed himself back into a sitting position and straightened his computer. He shut his eyes and listened to Peter’s slow breathing from the couch. He whispered.

“We need to do better.”

\-------------------------------------------------

Peter awoke slowly, still in a waking daydream. He noticed there was something pressed against his back. His hair was plastered to the side of his face and his throat stung from the dryness. Resigning himself to being awake, he listened for the bustle of the apartments around his. What he got instead was hushed whispers from Daredevil and his friends.

“What if you just adopt him?”

Peter stiffened, listening for the response.

“No. Not unless he was ok with it. His aunt just  _ died _ , we can’t ask that. Otherwise, the answer would be yes. Any day.”

Peter felt a tear slip down his face, both from the harsh reminder of yesterday’s events, and the thought that had been put into that answer. The only reason Matt had said no was out of concern for Peter. Without opening his eyes, he decided to open his mouth.

“I’d be ok with it.” He called out.

Peter heard the surprised inhale from the 3 adults before Matt was scrambling up towards the couch. He opened his eyes and moved to rub the crust out of them when Matt let out a surprised “Peter!”

Peter shifted up the couch as Matt reached him.

“You’re awake!”

Peter looked down at his hands, contemplating how to continue what he had just said.

“I’d be ok with it,” he reiterated. “But only if you are.”

He continued to stare at his hands, rubbing them together in anxiety. He started a bit when Matt laid his hands atop Peter’s, stilling the movements.

Matt sat down next to Peter before looking in his general direction.

“Peter,” he began. He sighed. “I want you to know this isn’t your only option. If you’re not comfortable with an adoption, I’d completely understand.”

Peter twisted on the couch until his body was facing Matt’s.

“I’d like to hear what other options I’ve got first, but I’ve known you as Daredevil for how long now? You’ve been teaching, training- mentoring me weekly. Hell, you dropped everything to come pick me up in the freezing rain at the first sign that something was wrong.”

Peter paused again, before finishing in a small voice.

“I trust you.”

Peter was wholly unprepared for Matt lunging forward and wrapping Peter in a tight hug. There was a loud  _ click _ from a camera before Peter managed to move his arms enough to hug back.

Matt moved back, face burning. He cleared his throat.

“Let’s get some dinner and we can talk and decide where to go from here. We uh-” he scratched the back of his head, transitioning the mood from the lighthearted discussion to something less happy. “We also need to talk about funeral arrangements for your aunt, and anything you want from your apartment.”

Peter slumped over, leaning into Matt’s side. His heart twisted, no longer able to cry.

“Right.”

The two of them stood up and gathered some food from Karen’s groceries for dinner. Neither of them were willing to go out. Karen and Foggy sequestered themselves into Foggy’s office, giving the two some privacy.

Matt and Peter settled on the floor in front of Karen’s desk to eat. Matt started talking. Karen and Foggy fell asleep to the muffled tones of a lawyer and a mourning teen.

\------------------------------------------

The first thing Foggy registered was a weight against his side and an ache in his muscles. He shifted slightly and groaned, waking Karen in the process. He blearily opened his eyes and gazed down at her as she did the same.

“I feel like I should be concerned about how many times I’ve fallen asleep in my office.” He remarked.

Karen pushed herself off the floor, dusting off her dress.

“You and Matt both.”

Foggy shoved himself up too, stretching towards the ceiling.

“Speaking of, should we check on them?”

Karen began running her fingers through her hair in a pathetic attempt to straighten it.

“Yeah, probably.”

Rubbing at his eyes, Foggy reached for the door handle, quietly easing the door open. Karen and Foggy slipped through and cast their gaze around the room before falling on Matt and Peter. Karen scrambled to get her phone as Foggy bit his fist to avoid making a sound.

Matt was leaned against Karen’s desk, arm wrapped around Peter’s shoulders. Peter was tucked into Matt’s side, head pillowed on his chest and arm wrapped around Matt’s middle. Matt’s other arm was lightly grasping at Peter’s as they slept. Karen turned the volume down on her phone before taking several pictures.

Foggy turned around again and whisper-screamed to Karen.

“That is just not fair! That’s freaking adorable!”

Karen made a strangled squeal as she sent the photos to Foggy.

“We should get out of here,” she whispered, edging towards the door.

Foggy followed, whispering back.

“They better have chosen adoption, I haven’t seen anything this adorable since the time that cat got itself stuck to Matt’s suit.”

They quietly shut the door behind them before booking it down the stairs to the street outside.

\----------------------------------------------

Just like Foggy, Matt awoke to pressure on his side, warm and steady. He slowly extended his hearing out, taking in the sounds of Peter breathing, building, and the city outside. He tightened his hold around Peter’s shoulders before gently shaking the kid awake.

Peter breathed in sharply with a confused “bwuh?”

“Hey kid, time to wake up.”

Peter groaned before sliding off of Matt and onto the floor.

“Nooooo.”

Matt stood up next to Peter.

“Nope. C’mon, we should tell the others what we decided. Up.”

Peter groaned again before hoisting himself off the floor and cracking his neck. Matt flinched.

“Please. Never do that in my presence again I’m begging you it sounds so bad please.”

Peter looked at Matt.

“What, this?” He cracked his neck in the other direction.

Matt flinched again before screeching. He walked out of the room and into the hall. As he waited for Peter, he pulled his phone out to text Foggy. Pulling up his contact, he spoke into the phone, trusting it to type what he said.

“Meet at my place?”

He sent the text to Foggy right as Peter opened the door, school bag in hand. He reiterated the text to Peter so the boy knew what they were doing.

“We need to get in touch with a lawyer.”

Peter looked at Matt, confused.

“You or Foggy can’t do it?”

Matt stopped walking.

“Peter, do we look like juvie lawyers? We’re defense attorneys.”

“Oh.”

Matt continued walking, having memorized the path to his apartment long ago.

“So we need a  _ juvie  _ lawyer, but we also need a realtor because my apartment is not fit for two. We also need to get in touch with a funeral director.” The mood shifted again. “I’m sure you’d like to pay your respects.”

The two listened to the distant sounds of the main city before Peter spoke up.

“I’m thinking she should be cremated. It’s uh- it’s what we did for Ben when he uh- yeah.” Peter’s voice grew quiet and small. “I’ll spread them in the same place. I think they’d like that- being together again.”

The side street seemed awfully private against the muffled sounds of New York.

“Y’know, it was their favourite place. Nothing big, just a little bench on a hill, but it was ours. It overlooked the city and at night, you could see the lights for miles.”

Peter’s tone turned nostalgic as he spoke, drowning in memories of Ben and May.

“We went there a lot at first. And then after Ben. May and I.”

Peter sniffled.

“I think it’d be fitting.”

Matt didn’t talk, instead placing his hand across Peter’s shoulders and rubbing his thumb in soothing circles.

The muffled atmosphere followed them all the way to Matt’s apartment where Karen and Foggy were already waiting for them.

Matt’s face brightened up at the sound of his two friend’s heartbeats and he heard Peter’s heart pick up at seeing the two. They sped up to meet them in front of Matt’s door.

“Soooo,” Foggy dragged out, “what did you guys decide to do?”

Matt started to unlock his door, waiting to see if Peter would answer or not. Upon hearing nothing, he readied himself to speak.

“We figured adoption would be the easiest route. I wouldn’t have to figure out how an emotionally unstable blind lawyer could get foster care approved, Peter has a place to live where he could still easily continue his civilian life and get to Queens at night, and now we have more time to train so he  _ doesn’t get  _ **_stabbed_ ** _ as much.” _ His tone turned accusatory as he directed a blank stare in Peter’s direction.

“That would be so much more effective if I couldn't see your eyes.” Peter muttered.

Karen quickly cut in.

“Hang on, training?  _ Stabbed?!  _ What the  _ hell!” _

Peter turned to face Karen slowly.

“Did- did no one tell her?”

“Tell me  _ what?!” _

Matt opened the door, propping it with his foot and leaning against the door frame.

“If anyone knows the value of a secret identity, it’s us kid. We aren’t gonna tell anyone without your permission. Even Karen.”

Matt heard Peter’s breath stutter, and his voice cracked a bit as he spoke.

“That… that really means a lot to me.” He took a breath. “Thank you.”

Karen cut in again once more, shattering the tender atmosphere.

“That’s all fine and cute, but what is Peter doing that leads him to get  _ stabbed!” _

Peter took another fortifying breath and turned to face Karen, looking her dead in the eyes.

“I’m Spider-Man.”

There was a beat of silence.

“You’re  **_what?!_ ** You can’t be Spider-Man, you’re like, 12!”

Matt tilted his head in Karen's direction.

“Just like I can’t be Daredevil?” He interjected coyly.

Karen spun around.

“Fair point, but  _ what! _ No way! You’re-” she broke off. “You’re Spider-Man!”

Her voice was breathless in disbelief.

Peter spread his arms.

“Yeah.”

Karen ran her fingers through her hair before facing Foggy. She placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Now we have two vigilantes who don’t take care of themselves to look after.”

Foggy slumped, forehead landing on Karen’s shoulder.

“Shit.”

The door creaked against Matt’s foot, jolting the 4 back to attention.

Foggy straightened up and clapped before striding over to Matt and the door.

“Well we better get inside and start looking for some lawyers then!” He ruffled Peter’s hair as he passed.

Peter’s hands flew up to his hair with an affronted “Hey!” as Karen passed by him as well.

“Lawyers? Why do you need lawyers? Can’t you guys do it?”

This time, it was Foggy who responded, walking backwards to face Karen.

“Do we  _ look  _ like juvie lawyers, Karen?”

Peter trailed behind Karen, tuning the conversation out as he took in Matt’s apartment for the first time.

It was a large open space, and light from an enormous billboard spilled inside, illuminating two small couches and a coffee table on his right. To his left was a small kitchen, a step up. I looked unused, save for the fridge, dust gathering on the stovetop. There were two doors as well, probably leading to Matt’s bedroom and bathroom.

Other than that, the space was sparse. Baren. Peter understood Matt’s insistence on getting a new place with the oncoming plans for adoption.

Slowly spinning around to take in the place, Peter tuned back in to the conversation just in time to hear Foggy’s game plan.

“Ok, we need to contact social services to tell them we know where Peter is and that he’s ok. We then need to get them to print adoption papers for us. Once signed, we’ll send them in and wait for approval. We should search up some lawyers in the meantime to challenge in case the paper’s get denied for any reason.”

Matt picked up from there.

“Karen, I hate to ask this, but could you possibly start searching for houses on the market? It needs to be affordable, close by, and good for both Peter and I.”

Karen nodded quickly with an offhand, “of course.”

“Peter, we should start planning May’s funeral, as well as getting all of your stuff from your old apartment. I know it’s not fun, but it won’t pay respects to have one of us do it.” Matt continued softly. “You knew her.”

With Karen and Foggy busy with their tasks, Peter scrubbed his eyes again before padding after Matt and collapsing on the couch.

“Yeah... Let’s do it.”

The sound of clacking keyboards filled the space as emails were sent off and searches were made.

\-------------------------------------------

There was the sound of a clearing throat that broke the silence.

“Matt?” It was Foggy. “Come listen to this.”

Matt scrambled off the couch and Peter trailed a few paces behind.

“So, we definitely have to give Peter to child services-”

Peter stiffened at this and Foggy forcefully kept talking, finishing his point.

“-but only for, like, a day so he can be entered in the system. Once he’s in, he’s ‘available’ for adoption and we can swoop in with papers. Technically, we’ll need to do an interview but if we can prove we all already know each other, we can skip that.”

Foggy shot a meaningful glance at Peter.

“Is that ok, Peter?”

Peter flushed at the attention and thought for a moment, tugging lightly at his hair.

“I- I mean, yeah, I guess. The only reason I ran in the first place was because the system meant I might have to leave. I mean, I was kind of panicking too but…” he trailed off.

Matt clasped Peter’s hand, comforting him.

“We’ll try to make it as quick as we can.”

With a quick squeeze, Matt let go of Peter’s hand and moved to get Karen’s attention.

“We should all take a break and share what we’ve found, stretch out legs.”

Sparing a quick glance up, Karen shut her computer and stood up, groaning as she stretched towards the ceiling. Several audible pops were heard. Matt cringed as she relaxed into a natural stance.

“That’s a good idea. Coffee run?”

Foggy groaned as he stretched as well. With a grunt, he answered.

“Yes that sounds amazing right now!”

With murmurs of agreement, the four set out in search of a coffee shop.

Tapping his cane, Matt led the way, weaving through the streets.

“So we’ve heard from Foggy, Karen, any luck?”

“Surprisingly enough, yeah. Found a few places that might work. I figured that as long as there were two rooms, the areas with billboards, like this one, would be fine. You don’t need lights and Peter would be able to see, so it’s cheap, and they tend to be around this area.”

“Any with roof access or a balcony?” Matt inquired as he took a sharp left.

Karen looked down at the listings on her phone.

“Yeah uhhh, two of them.”

“Could you book a time for us to look at them then?”

“Already on it!”

Tucking her phone away, Karen saw the door to the shop. Matt pushed the door open with a tingle.

“What about you guys? Progress? Plans?”

Peter was the one to answer this time.

“Nothing set in stone. Legally, I have the pull and I need to be there in person before anything can happen."

Thinking for moment, Peter asked, "So when are we gonna see the houses?"

The conversation drifted into something more lighthearted as the four ordered their drinks and settled down.

\------------------------------------------------

Peter woke up suddenly, awareness coming back all at once. He'd been staying with Matt for a little over a week now and at this point, Ned knew what was going on. He'd been excused from school but Ned had been collecting the work he'd missed while gone.

Peter lay on his back, staring at the sunlit ceiling. He didn't particularly feel like getting up, content to just lay there with his thoughts.

They had signed the adoption papers a few days ago and were waiting for an approval or a denial to come back. That same day, they had gone to the apartment to pick up Peter's stuff.

He had hesitated in front of May's door, loathing the thought of disturbing the last memory of her. The smell of her perfume bombarded him as the door swung open and his eyes teared up as he realized this was the last time he'd smell it. He had grabbed a few things to remember her- her favourite necklace and the family picture book under her bed.

With a sorrowful glance back and a familiar burn in the back of his head, he slowly eased out of the room and declared that he was done. They'd sell the rest- things like the couch and the coffee table.

The boxes they'd collected were now sitting in the corner by the window.

Yesterday, they'd gone to tour one of the houses Karen had found. It was nice. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms. No roof access but it did have a fire escape ladder. Just like Matt's current place, it was illuminated by billboards, cutting out the need for lights.

Everything was moving so fast, it felt like he was speeding away from the life he had known. Leaving behind everything, leaving him behind. His thoughts dripped in memories of before. Movie nights and warm hugs. He'd never get that back.

His life was hurtling out of control in a tight coil, zooming forward and leaving that 12 year old boy who held his uncle in his arms behind.

Distantly, he heard a door swing shut and muffled voice. He paid it no mind, too lost to his miserable thoughts to focus on his surroundings.

  
  


Matt was close to panicking.

He had come home early, calling Peter's name as he shut the door. He could hear Peter's heartbeat, and was alarmed upon hearing no response. He didn't hear anyone else in the house so he crept forwards, towards the couch Peter had been sleeping on in the past week.

Turning the corner to face Peter, he found the boy blinking dumbly at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face.

"Peter?" He tried, waving his hand in the direction he hoped Peter was looking in.

"Peter?!"

There was no reaction, no sign that he'd heard what Matt was saying.

"Peter!"

Matt reached towards Peter, shaking his arm gently with a cautious hand. He sighed in relief at the sharp inhale as Peter's mind came back, letting his trembling hand fall to his side.

"Peter, you ok?"

There was silence for long enough that Matt's heart was picking up again before Peter rolled onto his side and muttered a soft, "Yeah."

Matt sat down on the floor so his face was at Peter's.

"You sure about that?"

More tears leaked out of Peter's eyes. It didn't seem like he was even aware he was crying. The response was quiet again- small.

"No."

  
  


Peter curled in on himself, staring blankly at the wall just over Matt's shoulder. Who knows how much time he lost in memories of what he'd never have again? Faintly, he noticed wet tracks around his eyes. Matt didn't respond, instead placing a hand on Peter's head and stroking his hair lightly. Peter curled up even more, thoughts drifting back to May and Ben.

By the time Peter came back to himself, the sky was tinted orange and Matt was shaking him back into awareness. Matt's voice was soft as he spoke.

"You should probably get ready."

Ready? Oh yeah. Ashes.

Rubbing his eyes, Peter sat up. His voice was almost too small to hear.

"Yeah, I should."

Slowly and timidly, Peter got dressed. He put on some nice clothes, the ones May really liked. He splashed water on his face and fixed his hair, knowing full well it'd be pointless to keep it like that. It's not like May would see anyway.

Time passed in a blur again. Peter's head was still stuck in that floating in between, only half aware of what was going on around him. Matt kept a grounding hand on his shoulder.

They had decided to forgo a funeral. The only one left to mourn was Peter. Subconsciously, Peter led the way to Ned's. Both Peter and Matt had agreed that Ned would be a better emotional support for the final step. Peter's hands clutched the urn that held May's ashes tightly, even as he reached to knock on Ned's door.

The normal flying hug was replaced by a much more somber one, tighter. Peter's vision swam as the two walked side by side, Matt trailing behind. No one talked.

Soon, they reached the small hill that led up to the bench Peter had described to Matt. The sky was firey and Matt stopped following as the path began to curve up. It wasn't his place.

The two boys paced up the path hand in hand until they reached the top of the hill. Peter's eyes landed on a lone, weatherbeaten bench and stung, unable to produce any more tears.

Ned's thumb stroked the back of Peter's hand.

"Hey Uncle Ben."

Peter's voice was trembled but was strong. His breath shook as he spoke. Ned squeezed his hand.

"It's been a while. A lot has happened since you've been gone. I'm sorry I haven't visited much. I'm sure you know already, but Aunt May died. I figured you two would want to be together again."

His voice broke on the last word and his breath hitched. He turned quickly towards Ned and was enveloped in a soft hug as his body shook. Peter buried his face into Ned's shoulder as Ned locked his arms around Peter and began to sway them from side to side. Ned spoke the first words he had all evening.

"You're good dude. You can do this. I'm here."

With a final squeeze, Peter pulled away from Ned and picked up the urn. With a decisive breath, he began to scatter May's ashes over where Ben's had once lay. The neglected bench cast a shadow on Peter's feet.

Peter seized Ned's hand again and tilted his head to the side to lay on Ned's shoulder. Ned switched hands to wrap his arm around Peter's shoulders. The two boys stared over the city until the sky faded to black and the only source of light was the twinkling city below. Tears absently fell from Peter's eyes and Ned mourned for May and for Peter.

Eventually, Peter pulled away with a soft breath and, hand still clasped in Ned's, began the curving descent to where Matt had been waiting. Ned waited as Matt pulled Peter into a hug too, shooting him a meaningful glance that he couldn't see.

"You good?"

Peter responded to Matt, voice stronger and more sure than it had been earlier that day.

"Yeah, actually."

Ned got Peter's attention. Pulling the small boy into a hug once more, he spoke regretfully.

"I've gotta go. It's late and I told mom I'd be back before midnight. I'll see you on Monday yeah? Text me."

Peter gave Ned a squeeze.

"Ok. I'll see you on Monday."

With that, Ned turned and began the trek back to the subway. Peter and Matt began to walk, side by side. Offhandedly, Matt spoke.

"So I've got some good news. It's actually why I was home so early."

Peter bumped Matt's side.

"Oh yeah?"

Matt hummed and looked around, holding back the excitement from the announcement. 

"The papers came back."

Peter jumped in front of Matt. His heart sped up as his fingers clenched into a fist before releasing again. His body was on the verge of shaking as his eyes lit up. He stumbled backwards a bit as Matt kept walking, albeit a bit slower.

"What did they say?!"

Matt paused and stopped walking entirely. He grinned slightly.

"We got approved!"

Matt was tackled into a strong hug and the two spun around. Peter was babbling as he hugged Matt tightly, chin tucked over Matt's shoulder.

"It worked they said yes oh my god they said  _ yes." _

As they released each other, Matt asked, "so are you up for a celebration tonight?"

Peter glanced back at the hill where Uncle Ben and Aunt May rested together. He stared for a few moments, soft grin on his face.

"Yeah." His voice was soft but strong. "I think I am."

With a glance towards the stars, Peter thought of May and Ben, and then of Matt and Foggy and Karen and Ned. He may have lost a family, but he gained one too, and as he walked down the street with Matt, he thought that maybe, everything would be alright.

Of course, there'd be time for grieving later. The anger, the denial, the days where the motivation to get out of bed would be daunting and scary, but Matt would be there, just like he was tonight. Tonight was for celebrating with his new family. His  _ family. _

**Author's Note:**

> You have no idea how terrible it is to comb through the entire fic to figure out where I put the italics
> 
> HEY  
> IMPORTANT UPDATE  
> READ MY NEW WORK *HERE*  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/22757050  
> THERE'S AN APP THAT'S VIOLATING THE PRIVACY OF EVERYONE ON ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN AND BREAKING SEVERAL LAWS - THAT WORK OFFERS MORE DETAILS. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, AND YOU SHOULD READ AND SPREAD THE WORD


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